come away with me
by eliana-moran
Summary: When Ginny and Malfoy decide that they are tired of the way the world works, will they be able to find a world where they belong?
1. Seven Years

A/N this is like my story feels like home. each chapter is based on or inspired by a song off the norah jones album come away with me.

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Seven Years – Ginny

Ginny Weasley was seven years old. She was a little girl with nothing wrong, but she was all alone. She had six older brothers but she played alone. Ron was only a year older than she was, but he acted like he knew everything and always wanted to tell her what to do when they played together. Fred and George were both ten, and they were fun to play with sometimes, but they spent most of their time figuring out ways to pull pranks on the others. They left her alone though, and sometimes let her help, because she was their favourite. Percy was twelve and Charlie was fifteen, they were both away at school. She didn't miss Percy that much; he wasn't any fun to play with; he never wanted to get dirty or do anything that might possibly in some way be at all dangerous. She did kinda miss Charlie, but he hardly ever played with her; he spent most of his time flying or hanging out with his friends. Bill, now, Bill she missed. He had just graduated and gotten a job with Gringott's, the wizarding bank. Everyone had thought that he'd stay in London for a while so they could train him for the job, but he had tested so well that they sent him straight to Egypt to train there. He was her favourite. He had never gotten too old to play with her and always had time to talk or listen to her sing. He liked it when she sang. She missed him.

Well, if no one wanted to listen to her sing, she'd sing to herself. She was outside lying flat on her back, spread eagle, in the field behind their house singing to the sky. Sometimes she would get up and run across the field, spin in circles, or make up her own dances. Sometimes she would pretend she had a partner and sometimes she danced alone. She liked to dance and to run, it made her feel free and it didn't matter if she was alone.

In an hour or so she would have to go inside because it was getting dark. She didn't really mind. She would help her mother fix dinner and then listen to her father tell them all about his day. She liked listening to her father talk about all those muggle things that he learned about at work. She liked it better when he got a day off and could work in their garage. He liked to take muggle things and make them magical, and he would let her watch, sometimes even help. She knew he wasn't supposed to do it, mostly because her mum would always pretend to be mad, but also because it was his job to stop other people from doing the same thing. He said it _wasn't_ the same thing, though, because he would never sell any of his things or give them away so there was no chance a muggle could get a hold of them.

That was a good year, when she was seven. Being alone never felt lonely that year. When she was eight the twins went off to school as well and she missed having them around, they were entertaining. From there it only got worse. When she was nine, Ron was talking about how he would get to go to school the next year and even though she didn't really get along with him or play with him she knew it would be even lonelier without him around. More than that, though, Charlie was talking about graduating, and _he_ wanted to work with dragons in Romania! That was as far away as Egypt! Her family was leaving her. When she was ten she was stuck at home alone with her mother. She loved her mother, but since everyone else was gone and she was the last her mother babied her more than ever.

When she started school she finally had a real friend she could talk to, but that turned out to be the biggest mistake of her life. That "friend" had nearly cost the lives of other students, had nearly cost her own. Her second year wasn't much better. Her big brother and friends practically ignored her and she had no other friends. She was pretty shy after what had happened her first year and she just kinda disappeared her second. Her third year she was getting pretty tired of being lonely and missed the days when she was just alone so she decided to figure out how to be happy just being her again.

Her fourth year saw a great deal of improvement. Apparently, when you are happy just being you, it's a lot easier to make friends. She still didn't have many, but she had a few. There was Luna Lovegood. She was a bit nuts, but in a good way. She was happy just being herself as well and didn't care what anyone else thought. There was also Neville Longbottom. He was in her brother's year, but he didn't have many friends either and they seemed to be making a circle of outcasts. She had also become pretty good friends with Hermione, one Ron's best friends and the girl he refused to admit fancying. Three friends may not sound like much, but she figured it was more than most people.

Not that she told her friends everything. She kept to herself quite a bit. Her friends might eventually learn everything, but she had long since stopped talking about anything that really weighed on her mind until she had pretty much dealt with it on her own. Very few people, including her friends, realized how alone she really was, alone, but no longer lonely.

It had taken her eight years, but once again, she was able to sing for herself and dance free. Unfortunately, though, loneliness is persistent and would seep in at the edges, always adding just a hint of melancholy to the solitude. Anyone who looked close, though, could tell that her crooked smile told a tale of grace that was all her own.


	2. Feelin The Same Way

Feelin' The Same Way – Draco and Ginny

It was a Hogsmeade weekend in late November and Ginny had stayed up at the school. Luna, Neville, and Hermione had all gone down, but she didn't mind being alone. She was bored. She supposed going to town might have been a nice diversion, but then again, she'd been there before; she knew it backwards and forwards, and the familiarity would make it just as boring as it was up at the school. Only it would be worse down there because she would have no reason to be bored. At the school it was at least understandable.

She sighed deeply. She was walking aimlessly through the halls. She should study, but she couldn't focus. She could read, but she would just stare at the page. She saw Malfoy leaning up against the wall a little way off. She should turn a corner, or at least come up with something smart to say, but why bother? It was all just the same as it always was. The repetition in life was getting to her. She was too tired to break inertia and turn. Who knew? Maybe she would automatically answer whatever he said to her. She didn't really care.

Malfoy had stayed up at the castle for the exact same reasons Ginny had. He was too bored to find something to entertain him. He saw her approaching. He should move, walk off, but he didn't have the strength to move. He should come up with something to say. There was always the classic 'Weasel' insult…he just sighed as she passed instead.

To her utter amazement she felt herself stop and fall against the wall next to him, mimicking his posture. They just stood there, backs against the wall, hands in their pockets, in silence. Finally she gave a frustrated sort of sound and slid down behind her knees.

"Something wrong, Weasel?" he drawled.

"I'm feeling the same way all over again," was her answer.

"I know what you mean," he slid down next to her. Turning his head to face her lazily, he said, "Sorry I didn't insult you earlier, I figured you knew what I was going to say anyway so why bother."

She almost laughed but really just huffed. "Yeah, I'm so tired of the same old thing that I can't even get up the energy to change things up." She let her head fall to the side so she was facing him as well.

"Is it just me," he asked, "or is this place more the same than ever?"

She came close to smiling. "That doesn't make any sense." He exerted the energy to straighten his head. She did the same, "Still, it isn't just you."

They sat in silence for a little while longer.

"You know," he broke the silence at last, "there is one sure way of mixing things up." He rolled his head over again and looked at her with raised eyebrows.

She rolled her back as well, "Why Ferret, are you suggesting what I think you are?"

"It would certainly create a buzz around here."

She looked thoughtful and righted her head. "That it would, that it would."

"So what do you say? Want to give our house heads heart attacks?"

She laughed. "You sure you want to? I mean," she looked back at him, "you're the one who would be going against family creed and all that."

He looked at the wall opposite him. "My father is a fool with a death wish. I couldn't care less about half of the things he raves about. I'll deal with him if you'll _let _me deal with your brother." He was looking at her again.

Her neck was getting sore from all the rolling, and the conversation was actually getting interesting, so she crossed her legs and sat up, turning so her whole body was facing him. "What do you mean by 'deal' with Ron?" she asked a bit wearily.

"Ah," he mimicked her readjustment, "I wouldn't hurt him, bad, just convince him to stay off your case, that's all."

She looked at him calculatingly. "To make things clear, we're talking about _friendship_ here, right?"

He rolled his eyes. "Nothing more."

"You're really that bored?" she asked.

"You have no idea. Besides," he went back to their earlier position, "you're the only interesting person _in_ this school."

She, too, returned to the earlier position. "Now that we're friends, I suppose I should stop calling you Ferret," she said absently.

He smiled, "Draco will do just fine, but I refuse to call you Ginny. Will Red work, or will you find that offensive?"

She shrugged, "Red's fine."

They sat there until dinner.


	3. Cold Cold Heart

Cold Cold Heart – Ginny

As they sat against the wall they talked. Ginny told him about what it was like to grow up with six brothers, two of whom were Fred and George. He admitted to always holding a grudging respect for those two. He told her that he was usually cruel because he had nothing better to do. He had long ago learned to find other's discomfort entertaining, and it wasn't like anyone would let him be anything else. She admitted that he had a point.

She finished the story about Fred and Ron's teddy bear just before they reached the Great Hall for dinner, and as a result they both entered laughing hysterically. When they finally caught their breath he told her he'd see her later and she waved as they went to their separate tables.

They were both greeted by disbelieving stares from pretty much everyone at their tables as they sat down. Draco just shrugged and started filling his plate. Ginny smiled and said, "What?" before doing the same.

It took a moment, but as soon as the shock wore off, Ron started yelling, right there in front of everyone. Ginny sighed and looked over at the Slytherin table. Meeting Draco's eye, she cocked her head up at her brother that had gotten to his feet. Draco smirked.

Getting up, he made his way over her table. Everyone else in the Hall was watching silently. Draco grabbed the back of Ron's robes and started dragging him out into the Entrance Hall. Ginny rolled her eyes and followed with Harry, Hermione, Luna, and Neville.

Once out in the Entrance Hall, Draco shoved Ron up against the wall. "Listen, weasel. Your sister has a mind of her own and she has decided to be nice to me. No one has _ever_ done that before, do you understand? No one has ever let me be whatever I want, they all, like you, just take it for granted that I'm a clone of my father." His voice was as cold as a marble floor in February and just as hard. "Do you have any idea what that means to me? I will _not, _I repeat, will**_ not_** let anyone give her a hard time for it." He let go of Ron with a shove. "If I hear that you have…" He left the words hanging.

He turned to face Ginny. She had a rather surprised look on her face. "If he yells at you again, let me know." She nodded.

She had no idea what to expect when she gave Malfoy permission to 'deal' with her brother, but she certainly hadn't expected _that._

He headed back to the Great Hall to finish his dinner. She did the same with Neville and Luna behind her. Harry and Hermione stayed with Ron who was once again in shock.

The buzz around the school about their friendship was certainly loud and excited. Everyone had something to say about it. Everyone had an explanation to offer. It did not last as long as they thought it would, however. It didn't really matter though.

They soon found that their new friendship was more than enough to break the monotony. The more they talked, the more they realized they had in common, from their philosophies to their humour. They had enough differences, though, to keep things interesting. They soon became quite close. He even tolerated Luna and Neville for her sake, even though he found them a bit perplexing.

Their biggest disagreement was about the war. He didn't see how it mattered what side you took. He wasn't precisely a blood purist, but he didn't really care the other way either. They both believed that you should fight for your convictions, for what you care about; he just didn't care about much.

She was surprised by how fast she let him close. It took most of the year, but it still _only_ took most of the year. She found herself talking to him about things as they happened, working out her feelings as she spoke, rather than before. The strange thing was that she didn't mind; it didn't scare her.

He cared about her, deeply. What he had told Ron was true, and he would have done anything to protect her. She knew this.

That was why the next year hit her really hard. They hadn't talked over the summer; there wasn't really a way they could. When she found him on the train and joined him, he seemed a little different somehow, but she wasn't sure exactly what it was.

Over the next month or so, it really started to bother her. He kept her at a distance now. There were times she was convinced he didn't trust her. What had happened? It seemed the more she cared the more he withdrew.

Finally she couldn't take it anymore. "What the hell is your problem?" she asked him one day while they were on the ground.

He turned to her like she had lost her mind. "What are you talking about?"

"What is with you? Ever since we've come back you've been acting really weird. What happened?"

He lowered his eyes.

She shook her head in disbelief. "No. Tell me it's anything but that."

He got up and took a few steps away from her.

She stood up as well. "You let him turn you against me, didn't you?"

He turned to face her. She could see it in his eyes.

She started nodding with pained understanding. "You let him convince you that I'm no different than he is, that I just befriended you for my own purposes. You let him make you believe that all I care about is myself because that's all you've known. Nice." She huffed. "Real nice. Point for Lucius. I opened up to you Draco; I don't do that, not to anyone. You know it was real. You know I care about you. You know me. You know how I feel." She couldn't stop the tears. "But you don't know that, do you? You don't know _how_ to know that. It's so foreign to you because no one has ever done anything but use you." She was crying, "Why can't I free your doubtful mind? Why is my heart paying for things I didn't do?"

She turned to walk away but stopped to say one last thing "Why can't I melt you heart?"


	4. Shoot The Moon

Shoot The Moon – Ginny

He didn't know what to do. He hated himself for hurting her like that. How could he let his father get to him? How could he listen to Lucius over Ginny? He couldn't even look at her.

A week later he found himself being shoved up against a wall by none other than Ron Weasley. "Listen, you git. My sister was nice to you. You yourself said that no one is, but she was. I don't know why, but she cares about you. I listened to you and I let her be, against my better judgement. Now you listen to me, I don't care who you are, you can't go and break my sister's heart and get away with it." He released Draco with a shove; "You fix this mess you've made…" he just walked off.

Draco stared after him. Well, they do say that turnabout is fair play. He sighed. He went and found Ginny. She was sitting in the hall at the same spot they had been sitting when they decided to become friends. He slid down beside her. "I'm sorry, Red. I don't know why I let him get to me."

"I do. He's your father," she was talking to the floor.

"I guess." They sat in silence for a while

She sighed heavily.

He couldn't stop himself. "I care about you, Gin," she looked up when he called her Gin, "I really do, more than I probably should." He looked at her with the most pained expression she'd ever seen. "If things were different…if things were different I don't think I'd be satisfied with 'friends.'"

She swallowed hard. She wasn't exactly satisfied with friends either, and she had fancied that he felt the same, but since nothing had ever been said she couldn't bring herself to _believe_ it. He finally said something, and now it sounded…well, she didn't like the way it sounded.

"What I'm trying to say," he started examining something on the floor, "is I don't think this can work."

"Why?"

He looked up when he heard the pain in her voice. "Because of where we are, what's going on out there," he motioned with his arm to indicate the world. "It isn't safe. My father wanted me to pull away from you on my own. He wanted to poison me against you. It almost worked, but I think your tears would be an antidote to anything." He looked back at the floor. "I don't know how he'll react if he finds out that he failed, but I know it won't be good. I told you I would deal with him…" regret filled his voice now. "Well, I'm sorry, but I can't. He's too strong for me. I can't put you in danger by letting him know how much I care about you. I'm sorry. If only…this war…without it…" he couldn't finish his sentence. He was sure that if there weren't a war going on he would be able to walk away from his father, but as it was he knew his father would hunt him down. He couldn't put Ginny in that kind of danger.

Ginny was crying again. "It's your decision. You know I'll always care no matter what."

He nodded. He stood. He walked away.

The next day was the first real snow of the year. Ginny hadn't felt that lonely since the day after the Chamber, but now she did. She had to get up and leave when she saw Draco enter the Great Hall with Pansy in tow. She didn't see the look on his face as he watched her pass.

Time passed and the year continued. She slipped into her old way of life more easily than she thought was possible, but it didn't really ease the pain any. As she watched him graduate, she wondered if he thought of the time he told her that he knew the reason why they had to each be lonely.


	5. Lonestar

Lonestar – Draco

Draco stood out on the grounds somewhere of Malfoy Manor. It was the middle of the night, but he couldn't sleep. He had somehow managed to stay out of the war so far. He still wasn't quite sure how. He knew it had a lot to do with his mother.

He missed Ginny. All he could think of was her face as he had walked away. How could he have done that? Was it really for her protection? Or was it for his own? He was a fool. He felt like he was drowning without her. He felt like the darkness was crowding in and he would give anything to her light shine down on him again.

He wondered how she was. He wondered if she had moved on. He wondered if she would ever forgive him. He wondered if she still cared.

It seemed that being away from her only made him care about her more. Time didn't help him move on and forget her; it only made him realize all the more how much he missed her, that he needed her.

He thought about just leaving, about walking all the way to Hogwart's just to see her. He wondered if he would make it or if his father would find him. He felt like a prisoner in his own home.

He picked up a rock and threw it as far into the night sky as he could. He tried to knock the moon out of the sky. He failed.

He wondered if she still cared.

He had a year. His mother had bought him a year. She said that she didn't want her son going into war until he was properly trained and actually had a chance of survival. His father actually thought that made sense. He was training both with his father and private tutors in the art of dueling, learning as many hexes and curses as his father could find, as well as learning the art of lying, otherwise known as occlumency.

He wondered if they were training her well. He wondered if they would even let her fight. She would want to, he knew that. He knew she was probably furious that she was in school instead of fighting now. He wondered if they would let her fight.

He wondered if she still cared.


	6. Nightengale

Nightingale – Ginny

Ginny hated school now. Neville and Hermione were gone. Draco was gone. She couldn't even watch him anymore. She was worried about him. She wondered if he had become a death eater. She didn't really care.

Everyone kept telling her to stop worrying about him. Everyone kept telling her he wasn't worth worrying about. Everyone kept telling her that a lot of things. She never listened anymore.

They never told her anything about the war. They never told her anything about what was going on. They never told her anything. They sent her off to school because she would be safe there. Where they would send her when she graduated she didn't know, but she was certain they wouldn't let her fight.

She was the baby. She was the girl. She had to be protected. Forget the fact that she could throw a better hex than half of the people that had survived the first war. Forget the fact that she had a personal score to settle with Tom. Forget the fact that she was a born fighter. No, she would never get anywhere near the war.

She wondered if Draco would. She wondered if he would find a way out of it. She knew he didn't want to fight. She knew he didn't believe in what they were fighting for. She knew all he cared about was survival.

What she didn't know was why she cared about him so much if she knew he was so selfish. What she didn't know what why she cared about him so much even though he left her. What she didn't know was why she loved him.

They had only been friends for a year. How did she fall in love with him? She had only been fifteen. It had been a year and a half. Why did she still feel this way for him? Because he understood her. Because she understood him. Because they trusted each other, complimented each other, completed each other. That's why.

She wondered if she would ever see him again. She heard a nightingale in the distance and wanted to fly away behind it.


	7. Come Away With Me

Come Away With Me – Ginny

_Dear Draco,_

_I graduate next week. They're going to make me learn how to be a healer. They think it will keep me safe, occupied. I'm sure they're hoping the war will be over before I learn enough to be of any use. They won't let me fight. They won't tell me anything about what's going on. I have no purpose here. I'm no use to anyone. They want to put me on a shelf, to keep me a child forever. I can't stay here._

_After I graduate I'm going away. I'm going to America. I'll figure out what I'm going to do when I get there. At this point I don't really care as long as it's done anywhere but here. I'm tired of their lies. They tell me they care about me and only want what's best for me but they don't even listen to me, they don't even know me, so how can they have a clue what I need?_

_I know we were only friends for a year. I know there have been two years since. I know we haven't talked since the day you walked away. I know you probably think I'm crazy for writing to you._

_I don't know whether you became a death eater or not, but I don't care. I really don't. You listened to me. You cared about me. You got to know me. I fell in love with you._

_I've tried to tell myself I was only a child, but I haven't been a child since my first year. I've tried to tell myself that you can't fall in love with someone that fast, but why not? I've tried to tell myself that it's been too long, that you can't be the same person, but I might like who you've become even more, and if I wouldn't like it at all, well, that doesn't really matter, does it? If you've become someone I wouldn't trust, wouldn't love, than this letter won't make a difference and I'll never see you again._

_You did something to me. You touched my heart in a way I don't understand. You got close to me in a way I didn't know was possible. You told me once that if we lived in a different world, a different time, you would want more. Come away with me. We can make that world._

_Come away with me. We can escape them all. Neither of us is needed here. Neither of us will be missed because no one really cares but us. Come away with me. Meet me at the Shrieking Shack. I'm going to spend the night there after graduation. You know the date. Please, come away with me. I want to rest safe in your arms again._

_Ginny_

_I'll never stop loving you._


	8. Don't Know Why

Don't Know Why – Draco

He sat there, reading the letter for the hundredth time. She still cared. She loved him. She wanted to go away with him, to start over, to start free. He read the letter again.

He had gotten it the same day she had sent it. He had read it immediately. He had read a thousand times a day, or at least that's what it felt like. He sat there now, reading it as the sun rose over the horizon. He might still have time to catch her. He doubted it. She had always been an early riser and he would have bet anything that today would only see her wake earlier than ever. He hadn't gone.

Why hadn't he gone? He had been awake all night thinking about going. Why hadn't he? Why was he still sitting here?

Another hour passed, then another. She was definitely gone by now. He had let her go without him. He would never see her again. She was gone.

He wondered if she slept at all. He wondered if she sat up all night looking for him. He hoped not. He hoped she had slept. He still didn't know why he hadn't gone. He got up and went inside. He found a house elf and requested a bottle of wine in his room.

He stared up at the moon, an empty bottle of wine on the floor beside him. He felt so empty.

He didn't sleep that night either. He called for another bottle of wine. He didn't know why hadn't gone, but he did know why tears were falling from his eyes. He would never be able to forget her. She would be on his mind forever.

"Don't look at me like that!" he shouted at the rising sun. "I don't _know_ why I didn't come!" He disapparated.

He couldn't go away with her, he had blown that, but he could still go away.


	9. Painter Song

Painter Song – Ginny

Ginny moved to New York and got a job at a theatre. At first she was just an assistant to an assistant to the Assistant Director, but she stuck around. It took her five years, but she was the Assistant Director now herself and really enjoyed her job. It was only a matter of time before she became Director. The man she worked under now was already talking about adding a second stage, a second stage meant a second team, a team that would need its own lead, and she was in line for it.

She rarely used magic anymore, but she always kept her wand with her. She had kept up with the news and heard about the defeat of Voldemort. She knew that Harry was all but a _god_ in England now, but she found very few witches or wizards in America knew who he was, much less that they were supposed to worship him. The American wizarding population was much more blended with the muggles and she liked it that way.

Currently, she was in her flat, sorry, apartment, with her best friend, one of the actresses that frequently worked with her company. Kailey was currently raving about this _man_ she had just met. She had a date on Friday and was already stressing over what to wear, even though it was only Tuesday. Ginny just listened patiently. She found her friends dating life rather amusing. Kailey was always going out with someone and it was always the _one_. For someone that had so much control over her professional life, Kailey had absolutely none over her personal one.

After Kailey decided to head home, Ginny found herself staring at a painting on her wall. It was just a copy, but it was a copy of Van Gogh's "Starry Night." She sighed. She wished she could paint. If she could, she knew she would paint a portrait of Draco as she remembered him. She would pain him with his arms around her.

She knew it sounded pathetic, but if that was the only way she could be with him…

It had been six years since she had seen him, seven since she had spoken to him. She had asked him to come with her, but he had never showed. She had been awake all night. She had waited until noon. He never showed. She missed him.

She knew it was ridiculous to be so horribly and completely in love with someone so far in the past, but she was. She just wished she had a picture of him, of them together. She wished she was a painter. She wished she could climb inside Van Gogh's swirling skies. She wondered where Draco was.


	10. One Flight Down

One Flight Down – Draco

Draco had tried California first, but found it too…something. He lived there for three years and never adjusted. So, one day, he decided to try again and moved to New York. He had been there for two years and still didn't feel like he had a place. He was working for an advertising company. It seemed he had a knack for telling people what to think.

He had a decent life, friends at work, a nice place, a good income, and all of that, but he still felt empty. He still couldn't believe he had left her there alone. He still couldn't believe he hadn't gone with her.

He didn't know any of his neighbors. As far as he knew he had never seen any of them. He knew the woman living below him came in very late because she would always turn her radio on and he could hear the soft music drifting up to him. He didn't mind. He knew she got up late, at least later than he did, because her paper was always in front of her door when he left. He knew she was a woman only because he had heard her shouting down the stairs to one of her friends one night. She was the only one in the building he knew anything about.

He was sitting on his balcony one day when a beautiful blonde came running toward the building. He couldn't help but notice her because she was shouting at the top of her lungs. "Ginny! Ginny!" she was screaming.

"What?" he heard a voice shout from beneath him. The woman below him was named Jenny? He groaned; he hated hearing that name now. It always reminded him of his stupidity.

"They're going to do it! They're building a second stage! The plans were just approved by the city!" The blonde was still yelling, but she had stopped beneath his balcony, well, he supposed she was stopped beneath Jenny's balcony, but since his was directly above hers…

He heard a squeal and then "I'll be right down! We have to celebrate!" and then a door slamming. He sighed. He really didn't want to live above a Jenny.

He couldn't help but watch to see what she looked like. He nearly fell off his balcony when he saw her red hair. It couldn't be! He couldn't have been living directly above her for two years!

"So! Ginevra, where would the soon to be director want to celebrate?" the blonde asked with mock formality.

Ginevra? How many people in the world would be named Ginevra? Now, take that number, and how many of them had red hair? He didn't have clue, but he figured there could only _really_ be one. He barely heard Ginny name a club before the two women walked off down the street laughing and singing.

He couldn't believe this. He really couldn't believe this. He had been living above her for two years. She had been there, one flight down, all along.


	11. I've Got To See You Again

I've Got To See You Again – Draco

Hours later he looked over at the clock. It was only ten. She wouldn't be home for hours, especially if she was celebrating. He thought about going to the club, he had heard the name after all, and he knew where it was. He thought about going there and just watching her from across the room. But no, he couldn't do that. That wouldn't be enough.

He sat there, wanting nothing more than to go and watch her with her friends, but he wouldn't share her with anyone, not the first time he saw her in so many years.

He sat there until two a.m. when he heard the soft music drifting up to him. He couldn't help it, he had to see her again.

He got up and went downstairs. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath to steady his nerves. He knocked lightly, a little too lightly. She didn't hear him. He knocked again, a little more confident. She opened the door without undoing the chain and looked out curiously.

She just stared at him.

"I'm sorry, I know it's late, but I couldn't help myself, I had to see you again."

She blinked at him. Swallowing hard, she closed the door. She took so long to reopen he was beginning to worry that she wasn't going to. Finally he heard the chain slide and drop and the door reopened, completely this time. "Um…hi," she said.

"Hi." She stepped aside, inviting him to come in.

Shutting the door behind him, she asked, "How'd you find me?"

"I didn't, not really." She looked at him curiously. "You see, I heard your friend this morning when she called your name and then I saw you when you went out to meet her and heard her use your full name. I found it pretty hard to believe that there could be more than one red-headed Ginevra."

"Where…where were you?" she asked cautiously.

"On my balcony, up there." He pointed at her ceiling.

She tilted her head back to look up. "But…but that apartment's been rented for…"

"Two years, yeah, I know."

"You've…you've been up there for two years?"

He nodded.

She sat down.

He didn't know what to say.

"You didn't come." She broke the silence. "Why?"

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I thought about it, all week. I wanted to, but I never moved. I really don't know." He looked full of regret.

"Were you…" she started to ask.

He just slid up the sleeve on his left arm to show smooth, unmarked skin. She nodded.

"Why are you here?"

"After I failed to meet you I left on my own. I couldn't figure why I had stayed. I went to California first and spent three years out there before coming here."

She nodded again.

They both started to talk at once. Then they both told the other to go ahead. She sighed and he scratched the back of his neck. Neither of them said anything.

"Look, I know I what I did. I know I walked away from you and I know I left you there waiting for me for no reason. You have every reason to hate me. You have every reason to throw me out. I half expected you to slam the door in my face and would have understood completely. I just…had to come down here and see you again. I'm sorry for everything. I'm sorry I hurt you. You told me in that letter that you would always love me. I'm not asking for that. I just want you to know that I haven't been able to forget you. I haven't been able to think of anyone else. I just had to see you again." He looked distinctly uncomfortable and as though he was about to head for the door. He had said what he'd come to say. He had seen her.


	12. Turn Me On

Turn Me On – Ginny

Ginny didn't know what to say. She just stood there, looking at him. It wasn't until he passed her on the way toward the door that she found her voice.

"Draco, wait!" she turned to face him. "Please, stay."

He had turned at the sound of her voice. He nodded and sat down, not sure what else to do.

She sat on the edge of the couch, still facing him. He wondered how she supported herself, she looked like if she actually put her weight down she'd slide off.

"Please, I…I don't know how…I don't really care why you didn't come." He wasn't sure how to take that. Was she trying to make leaving easier for him? Was she telling him to stay? "I…" she was fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.

He absentmindedly reached out and stilled her hands. "Gin…you don't have to…"

She looked up at him with a scared expression. "Yes I do!" She stood up and walked over to her window. "My heart's been so dark since you went away. Please don't take the light away again?" She turned to face him, fear still the most prominent emotion in her eyes. "You…I was telling the truth in that letter. I never have stopped loving you and I never will. Everyone I work with, all my friends think I'm crazy to pine over a guy I never even dated. They all have someone in mind for me, someone they think I should go out with, give a chance. They all think I'm wasting my life, sitting here alone, in love with someone I'll never see again. But I have! Here you are! No one else would ever be able to touch me the way you did, to get as close to me. Please, don't leave me in the dark again."


	13. The Nearness Of You

The Nearness Of You – Draco

Draco didn't say anything; he just walked over to her and wrapped her in his arms. What was there to say? She still loved him. He loved her. She wanted him to stay with her. He wanted to stay.

After a while, he finally spoke. "Gin, it's almost two thirty."

"Hm," she mumbled, still comfortable standing there with his arms around her.

"I think you're falling asleep."

"Hm," she sighed happily.

"You're standing up, still dressed. Wouldn't you prefer to sleep in your bed, in something more comfortable?"

"Mm, mm," she shook her head. She was happy where she was.

He chuckled. "I can't hold you like this all night. I'll fall asleep too and then we'll end up in a heap on the floor."

"Sounds nice," she nuzzled her face in his shoulder.

"Gin?"

"Hm?"

"We really should go to bed." He felt her slump against him.

"I don't want to let go."

He buried his face in her hair for a moment. "There is another option…if you would…grant me the right…to hold you close to me through the night." He held his breath. He didn't know how she would take that.

She smiled and sighed another happy sigh. "Sounds nice."

He led her into her bedroom, never letting go of her. With a flick of his wand he transfigured their clothing. He was now wearing flannel pajama pants and she was wearing a matching flannel shirt that came to her knees. So there _was_ a use for the shirts after all. He had never worn it, but he was glad he hadn't thrown it out.

She really was almost asleep. He gently picked her up and laid her in the bed, climbing in behind her. Resuming his hold on her after covering them with the blankets, he whispered in her ear, "Gin?"

"Hm?" she snuggled down into the pillows.

"I love you."

"I love you too," her voice was very breathy and he knew she was drifting off.


	14. The Long Day Is Over

The Long Day Is Over – Draco and Ginny

The next day Ginny received an official call from the owner of her theatre, asking her to direct a second company as soon as the extension was completed. Draco started spending more of his time in her apartment than his own. Her friends were surprised, but ecstatic, that her long lost love had found her. Draco did receive a hard time from them for living there for two years and never noticing her. They conveniently ignored the fact that she had never noticed him.

It wasn't long before Draco received his own rather significant promotion within the advertising firm. His friends were surprised that he _knew_ a girl, much less lived above one that was madly in love with him for two years. They tried to steal her from him. They didn't succeed.

A year later, Draco and Ginny were married and they simply moved his things downstairs. Why? Because down is easier than up and so many people volunteered to help that just using magic was out of the question. It made for a very fun day.

They never really knew what happened to their families. Occasionally, when their children asked why they didn't have grandparents or cousins like the other kids a sense of nostalgia and curiosity would wash over them, but it never lasted long. They had built new lives for themselves. They had become new people. The days of Diagon Alley and Hogwart's were nothing but a dream.

It was a little harder on Ginny. When she would see her children playing with each other she would miss her brothers. When she held her daughter she would miss her mother. It was a soft melancholy, though, a sweet nostalgia. She never once regretted her decision to leave.

The long day had ended and they were together.


End file.
